Open window envelopes



Feb. 14, 1961 J. GIBBON 2,971,689

OPEN WINDOW ENVELOPES Original Filed March 5, 1958 INVENTOR JAMEJ GIBBONA TTORNEYS OPEN WINDOW ENVELOPES James Gibbon, West Bromwich, England,assignor to Kenrick & Jefferson Limited, West Bromwich, England, aBritish company Original application Mar. 5, 1958, Ser. No. 719,266.Divided and this application Nov. 24, 1958, Ser. No. 775,822

Claims priority, application Great Britain Mar. 13, 1957 Claims. (Cl.229-71) This application is a division of my application Serial No.719,266 filed March 5, 1958 and has reference to window envelopes of thekind having a cut out or open rectangular window as distinct fromenvelopes wherein the window is covered with transparent material.

It is found in practice that when open window envelopes are fed one at atime from a staggered heap of envelope blanks there is a tendency forthe trailing transverse edge of the window of the topmost envelope blankto foul the leading transverse edge of the envelope blank beneath andthus interfere with the accurate feeding of succeeding envelopes throughthe machine.

The invention has for its primary object to provide an envelope whichovercomes the aforesaid difiiculty. The invention has for a subsidiaryobject to provide an envelope which facilitates the insertion of thecontents of the envelope by reducing the tendency for the contents tofoul the lower transverse edge of the window of the envelope.

in this specification the terms leading, trailing and transverse edgesare defined in relation to the position which the envelope blanks assumeduring the stage of manufacture of the envelopes in which the tendencyfor fouling is to be avoided.

The invention consists of an open window envelope characterised in thatthe leading and/or trailing transverse edge or edges of the open windowof the envelope blank has or have been downturned and/or upturnedrespectively relative to the plane of the blank for the purposespecified.

Preferred means carrying the present invention into practice will now bedescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure l is a perspective view of a staggered pile of envelope blanks inaccordance with this invention.

Figure 2'is a section on the line ll-ll seen in Figure l, and

Figure 3 is a front perspective view of an assembled envelope inaccordance with the invention.

As seen in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings the opposed parallel leadingand trailing transverse edges 5 and 6 of the window aperture of theenvelope blanks are down- United States Patent 0 turned and upturnedrespectively out of the plane of the envelope blank so that when thetopmost envelope blank 7 is fed from a staggered pile of single sheetenvelope blanks 7, 7a, 7b etc., the tendency for the trailing edge 6 ofthe topmost blank to foul the leading edges 5a, 5b of the blanks 7a, 7bthereunder is avoided.

Each blank comprises a sheet having an open window 12, side flaps 13 andend flaps 14'and 15. The edges 5 and 6 are opposed edges of window 12,and narrow lips 5 and 6' respectively are bent oppositely out of theplane of the sheet as illustrated.

Means for etlecting the deliection or inclination of the transverseedges of the window in the'above manner are disclosed in my patentapplication Serial No. 7l9,266.

It will be realised that if the subsidiary object of the invention is tobe fulfilled, viz. that the insertion of the contents of the envelope isto be facilitated, then the transverse leading and trailing edges 5 and6 respectively should be downturned and upturned with the inside face ofeach blank uppermost and with the subsequently closed end of the blankleading in the direction or teed of the blanks in order to produce anenvelope having the window formation seen in Figure 3 after the blankhas been assembled.

I claim:

1. An envelope blank comprising a sheet of material having foldable sideand end flaps and formed with an open window having parallel transverseedges, said end flaps terminating respectively in leading and trailingedges as determined by the normal direction of feed of said blanks froma stack, and a narrow lip extending along one of said transverse edgesand projecting angularly with respect to the plane of the sheet, saidlip being formed of material bent out of said sheet at said one edge.

2. An envelope blank comprising a sheet of material having foldable sideand end'naps and formed with an open window having parallel transverseedges, said end flaps terminating respectively in leading and trailingedgesvas determined by the normal direction of feed of said blanks fromthe top of a stack of blanks, and a narrow lip extending along each ofsaid edges, said lips projecting oppositely angularly with respect tothe plane of said sheet and each being formed by material bent out ofsaid sheet at the associated edge, and the lip nearest the leading edgeprojecting downwardly out of the plane of the blank.

3. An open window envelope having a front wall, a mouth along one edgefor insertion of contents and a closure flap for said month, said frontwall having an open window through which part of the contents may beviewed and said window having opposite parallel transverse edges whichextend generally parallel to said mouth, and an integral inturned narrowhp extending along that transverse edge which is nearest said mouth andprojecting from the plane of said front wall toward the interior of saidenvelope.

4. An open window envelope having a front wall, a mouth along one edgefor insertion or contents and a closure flap for said mouth, said frontwall having an open window through which part of the contents may beviewed and said window having opposite parallel transverse edges whichextend generally parallel to said mouth, and an integral inturned narrowlip extending along that transverse edge which is furthermost from saidmouth and projecting from the plane of said front wall away from theinterior of said envelope.

. 5. An open Window envelope having a tront wall, a mouth along one edgefor insertion of contents'and a closure flap for said mouth, said frontwall having an open window through which part'of the contents may beviewed and said window having opposite parallel transverse edges whichextend generally parallel to said mouth, and narrow integral lipsextending along each of said transverse edges formed of materialoppositely bent out of the wall to project angularly with respect to theplane of the wall, the lip nearest the mouth projecting toward theinterior of the envelope.

References Cited in the file of this patent Patented Feb. 14, 1961 vKlinger May 8, 1934

